Post by Will on Jan 1, 2017 23:29:13 GMT -7

Hi guys,

I don't suffer from SSA but here are two amazing and inspirational documentaries that really touched my heart. I do think that SSA is something that is akin to every human being's struggles with sin, hope these are a blessing to someone if they haven't seen them:

Post by KevinesKay on Jun 10, 2017 8:30:50 GMT -7

Hi treepainter, nice to hear back from you. I bet it's really frustrating to see so little progress in how the church deals with SSA. It's bad enough that they don't talk about P and MB. And SSA is so common. You are so not alone. I wish we had better strategies in place for dealing with it.

Exodus International is gone. Many churches are giving up calling those dealing with SSA to leave The old ways. The churches that are against SSA have no clue how to handle it. Quite honestly, we've lost a lot of confidence in what we believe. That's assuming we had the confidence to begin with. The ex-gay ministry is getting destroyed.

Treepainter, this is not easy. I may not have SSA, but I know what it is to be sexually broken. My heart goes to those struggling with SSA. That along with SA, PA, MB, and criminal sexual behavior. But trust me on this one. It IS worth it to continue this journey that you're on. If you choose to live a life of sexual stability, that won't be easy, and you'll have to choose it for yourself. BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT!

Speaking of choosing, you'll need to be intrinsically motivated to do this. You can't​ do it because some preacher says it's bad, or because your family and friends say it's bad, or the world says it's bad. You have to decide for yourself that you want to change and you'll have to find reasons to change that will speak directly to your heart. For myself, not even God's Word was intrinsically motivating enough for me to surrender my addiction to Him.

And ultimately, God calls us to a point of unconditional surrender. That feeling we get when we have sex, or feel love, that has to go. Until we're left with nothing. Crazy faith. Nothing to lose faith. And then, only then, after we've surrendered these sex desires to God, will we see the pain of everyone around us. We will see how important it is to have God's Sacrificial love. We will see the importance of viewing ourselves as the bride of Christ. And we will see how marriage between a man and a woman, as challenging as it may be, is a picture of God.

But you gotta take that plunge of faith into Oblivion. You have to surrender your privilege to feel good, to experience life and pleasure as you know it. So many fail at this endeavor. But it is so worth it! Trust me. It is.

You can't do this alone. You need friends. You have a friend in me. So reach out and experience God's love because you ARE so loved here.

Post by treepainter on Jun 10, 2017 13:30:57 GMT -7

Thanks for all that encouragement!!! It's what it takes to just live another day/week/month. True, we need to be at the end of ourselves, even our expectations. And the way doesn't become clear all at once. It would be interesting to meet in person sometime too.

Post by Will on Jun 11, 2017 11:07:28 GMT -7

Hi guys,

Treepainter the top doc is very subtle. I actually think it's a beautiful film in that the film-makers really just tell the story of the people it focuses on very honestly and straighforwardly without apparently judging or taking sides. BUT, God's reality does the commentating for us. Brian and Ana both suffer from SSA but find companionship with one another and marry one another. Two of their friends fall away from that and the ex-gay ministry and go back into the homosexual lifestyle. The film also follows one of those guys, Derek, with his same-sex boyfriend. The film shows all this and poses one unspoken question:

- Who of the two couples is happier and has the true peace in Jesus Christ?

To me it is subtle but clear - the healing Brian and Ana, not the in-denial homosexual-living couple, in which Derek's boyfriend seems to be uncomfortable and somewhat manipulated.

So to begin with, it seems like the song 'Cure For Love' is referring to homosexual love, but by the end it seems to me that it is made clear that the love spoken of in the title that there is no cure for, is the Almighty and everlasting love of God.

Post by treepainter on Jun 15, 2017 12:07:13 GMT -7

I guess the documentary threw me for a loop because I thought I knew where they were coming from at first but then I was startled when it changed direction. It showed people who were exactly where I'm at and it looked like they had gotten the courage to do what deep down they had always wanted. I went away doubting what I believe for a little while especially because of the comments "now at age twenty-seven I finally had my first kiss and it was awesome; I felt no condemnation", and "my family is very disappointed in my choice, but they don't understand what the truth actually is". It makes it harder for me that one of my very close friends is homosexual and married (to a woman) and he is losing faith in God and Christianity and leaning toward just accepting the gay lifestyle. (although he's fine with my position.)And yes I saw Dennis Jernigan's testimony; it's one of the best testimonies I've ever seen. I love his song called "Daddy's Song". I recommend it to everyone on this site because it's applicable to sexual brokenness in general.

Post by Amymine712 on Jun 15, 2017 12:39:03 GMT -7

I guess the documentary threw me for a loop because I thought I knew where they were coming from at first but then I was startled when it changed direction. It showed people who were exactly where I'm at and it looked like they had gotten the courage to do what deep down they had always wanted. I went away doubting what I believe for a little while especially because of the comments "now at age twenty-seven I finally had my first kiss and it was awesome; I felt no condemnation", and "my family is very disappointed in my choice, but they don't understand what the truth actually is". It makes it harder for me that one of my very close friends is homosexual and married (to a woman) and he is losing faith in God and Christianity and leaning toward just accepting the gay lifestyle. (although he's fine with my position.)And yes I saw Dennis Jernigan's testimony; it's one of the best testimonies I've ever seen. I love his song called "Daddy's Song". I recommend it to everyone on this site because it's applicable to sexual brokenness in general.

It also had me going "what the hell?" There are different schools of thought out there when it comes to SSA in the Christian community. One being it is a sin no matter what and the other being it is only a sin if you are promiscuous. I agree with the first camp because the other camp can't support their view well with scripture. However I do not judge my gay friends who are Christians and in a committed relationship. They both know my stance on the issue but they also know that I love them. It's up to God to convict them. We all have sin in our lives so I concentrate on my walk with God and let them deal with theirs.

I think you need to follow God and not follow your lusts no matter what the lust is. That is our struggle and it's how we learn and grow. I have given into my lusts more times then I can count and had to repent each time. I still regret giving in to them. I am stronger now in that I realize my strength lies in my willingness to turn from sin and run to God.

“The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.” Corrie ten Boom

Post by Will on Jun 16, 2017 21:36:02 GMT -7

Hey treepainter that sucks about your friend who is leaning that way. Maybe you could point him towards the 'Such Were Some of You' doc? A lot of the testimonies there bear witness to its being caused by difficult relations with their father, and/or abuse, and that what set them free from this and on a path towards the Lord Jesus was coming to an understanding that God LOVES them (that they found hard to understand before often because of having a hard time feeling the love of their earthly father).

Am in no doubt as to the evil of homosexuality, and will pray for your friend and his wife that their marriage survives this. Your friend really does NOT want to go down that road. Homosexuality as a belief system is worse than most people even realise. Did you guys know that Adolf Hitler was gay and the whole Nazi movement was a homosexual (the 'butch' homosexual) movement from the very beginning? Mind-blowing but true. It was started in two turn-of-the-century homosexual and pedophile groups called the 'Community of the Elite' and the 'Wandervoegel', and Hitler (who was a gay prostitute in Vienna before WW1) was recruited first as Ernst Rohm's 'pretty boy' lover after the war. This fuelled a lot (most?) of their anti-semitism because of Jewish and Judeo-Christian Biblical values towards sexuality that condemned their lifestyle and would have nothing to do with it. Sorry for getting off topic!

Post by Will on Jun 23, 2017 6:09:00 GMT -7

My absolute pleasure, man. I have a heart for people who struggle with homosexuality because my 'sexual brokenness' has a lot of the same causes and I can understand a lot of what would make them turn to that for comfort. I would like to help people with SSA and it would be a blessing from the Lord to do so

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Will: 'Why should I stay in the grave when the stone has been rolled away?' - SavedbyGrace Mar 3, 2020 23:17:39 GMT -7

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teetop: Yeh, time changes are a nuisance, even though we've been doing it for many years.Apr 10, 2020 4:29:14 GMT -7

teetop: Well at this time we are still in lockdown mode to keep us safe. Apr 17, 2020 8:56:54 GMT -7

Amymine712: Lock down is a trial run for communism...and I have fully decided I will never vote for anyone that would bring that into my country.Apr 18, 2020 7:30:32 GMT -7

teetop: Well Amymine712, it has been years since I looked up some measures congress passed a very long time ago. President Kennedy just before he was assassinated in one of his very last speeches he warned the American People just about that type of power.Apr 20, 2020 20:15:19 GMT -7

teetop: Kennedy warned the American people that there are certain circumstances where the President could declare a national disaster and put the whole country under martial law can under special circumstances become a Dictator.Apr 21, 2020 3:51:42 GMT -7

savedbygrace: We are in a very unusual circumstance. Lockdown probably not the most accurate word. Both our state governors as well as the federal government have restricted behoviors that would have caused many more people to die. Apr 21, 2020 6:31:04 GMT -7

teetop: Right-on savedbygrace, though we may not like it, it is true that many people ignore these simple safety measures.Apr 21, 2020 23:16:30 GMT -7

Amymine712: Unfortunately some are taking their new found powers too far. Michigan's governor being one.Apr 22, 2020 6:15:57 GMT -7

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javajake: May the Lord protect us all from this strange virus. Also from the evil politicians who will use it to take control over our freedoms. Apr 23, 2020 6:52:51 GMT -7

teetop: As most know that if we take the time to obey God, we will rightly decern the times. I would also point out that if we take noteMay 14, 2020 16:20:15 GMT -7

teetop: that though the death toll seems high, I would suggest you look at the numbers a little closer. Take note as to how many are dying with complications from something else. And secondly, the death toll is nowhere near the number incurred in 1918, [/bMay 14, 2020 16:25:54 GMT -7